1 Samuel 14

Jonathan, unwitting to his father, the priest, or the people, goeth and miraculously smiteth the Philistines' garrison.

1 Samuel 14:1 And it fortuned the same tyme, þt Ionathas the sonne of Saul sayd vnto hys younge man that bare hys harnes: come, and let vs go ouer to the Philistines watche that are younder on the other syde, and he tolde not his father. 1 Samuel 14:2 And Saul taryed in the vttmost parte of Gibea vnder Rimmon, whych is in Migron, & the people that were wyth him were vpon a syxe hundred men. 1 Samuel 14:3 And Ahia the sonne of Ahitob Iehabods brother, the sonne of Phinehes, the sonne of Eli, was the Lordes preaste in Silo, & ware an Ephod. And the people wyst not that Ionathas was gone.

1 Samuel 14:4 And in the myddes of the passage (by which Ionathas sought to go ouer vnto the Philistines watch) were there two sharpe rockes euen one on the one syde, & the other on the other syde: the one called Bozez, & the other Senne. 1 Samuel 14:5 The forefront of the one, leaned northwarde towarde Michmas, & the other was southwarde, towarde Gibea: 1 Samuel 14:6 And Ionathas sayd to the younge man that bare his harnesse: come and let vs go ouer vnto the watch of these vncircumcised, paraduenture the Lorde will worke wt vs: for it is no hardnesse wt þe Lord to saue ether in manye or in fewe. 1 Samuel 14:7 And his harnesberar sayde vnto him: do all þt is in thyne hert: Go where it pleaseth þe: Behold, I am wt þe, as thine hert lusteth. 1 Samuel 14:8 Then sayde Ionathas: beholde, we go ouer vnto these men, & shall shew oure selues vnto them: 1 Samuel 14:9 yf they saye on this wise to vs: tarye, vntill we come to you, then we will stande stil in or place, & not go vp vnto them. 1 Samuel 14:10 But & yf they saye: come vp vnto vs, then we will go vp, for the Lorde hath delyuered them into oure handes And thys shalbe a sygne vnto vs. 1 Samuel 14:11 And they bothe shewed them selues vnto the watch of þe Philistines. And þe Philistines sayde: se, the Hebrues come out of þe holes where they had hydd them selues in. 1 Samuel 14:12 And þe men of the watche answered Ionathas and his harnesbearer, & sayde, come vp to vs, and we will shew you a thinge. And Ionathas sayde vnto his harnesbearer, come vp after me, for þe Lord hath delyuered them into the hande of Israel. 1 Samuel 14:13 And Ionathas clame vp vpon handes & fete, & his harnesberer after him. And they fell before Ionathas: & his harnesberer slue them after hym. 1 Samuel 14:14 And that first slaughter which Ionathas and his harnesberer made, was vpon a twentie men, within the compasse as it were about an halfe aker of lande.

A divine terror maketh them beat themselves.

1 Samuel 14:15 And ther was a feare in þe host, in the felde, & amonge all people: in so moche that they þt were gone out of the watche to robbe, were afrayde also: and the erth trymbled, for the feare that was sent of God. 1 Samuel 14:16 And the watche men of Saul in Gibea Ben Iamin, sawe. And beholde, the people (of the Philistines) were skatered & were smytten as they went.

Saul, not staying the priest's answer, setteth on them.

1 Samuel 14:17 Then sayde Saul vnto the people þt was with him. Searche and se, who is gone awaye from vs. And when they had nombred, beholde, Ionathas & hys harnesbearer were not there. 1 Samuel 14:18 And Saul sayde vnto Ahia: bringe hither the arcke of God. For the arcke of God was at that tyme wyth the chyldren of Israel.

1 Samuel 14:19 And it fortuned þt while Saul talked vnto the preaste, þe noyse that was in the hoste of the Philistines spred farther abrode, & increased. And Saul sayde vnto the preaste: wt drawe thyne handes. 1 Samuel 14:20 And Saul ioyned hymselfe vnto all þe people that were with him, & they came to the battell. And beholde euery mannes swerde was agaynst his felowe, and there was a very greate rumore.

The captivated Hebrews, and the hidden Israelites, join against them.

1 Samuel 14:21 Moreouer, the Ebrues þt were wyth the Philistines before that tyme, and were come with them in all partes of the hoste, turned, to be with the Israelites þt were wyth Saul & Ionathas. 1 Samuel 14:22 And all þe men of Israel also, which had hidd them selues in mount Ephraim, as sone as they hearde howe that the Philistines were fledd, they folowed after them in the battell. 1 Samuel 14:23 And so God holpe Israel that daye. And the battell continued vnto Bethauen.

Saul's unadvised adjuration hindreth the victory.

1 Samuel 14:24 And whyle the men of Israel were kepte downe wyth honger that daye, Saul charged the people with an ooth sayinge: Cursed be the man þt eateth any foode vntyll nyght, tyll I be aduenged of myne enemyes: And so, none of þe people tasted any sustinaunce. 1 Samuel 14:25 And all the inhabiters of the lande came to a wood where honye laye vpon the grounde. 1 Samuel 14:26 And the people came into the wood: And beholde, the honye dropped, and no man moued hys hande to his mouth, for the people feared the ooth. 1 Samuel 14:27 But Ionathas hearde not when hys father charged the people with the ooth, wherfore he put forth þe ende of the rodd that was in his hande, and dipt it in an honye combe, & put his hande to his mouth, and his eyes receaued syght. 1 Samuel 14:28 Then answered one of the people and sayde: thy father adiured the people, sayinge: Cursed be the man that eateth any sustinaunce this daye, & the people were fayntye. 1 Samuel 14:29 Then sayde Ionathas: my father hath troubled the lande: se howe myne eyes hath receaued syght, because I tasted a lytle of this honye: 1 Samuel 14:30 howe much more then to daye yf the people had eaten of the spoyle of their enemyes whych they founde. And had there not bene then a moche greater slaughter amonge þe Philistines? 1 Samuel 14:31 And they layed on the Philistines þt daye, from Michmas to Atalon. And the people were excedinge fayntie. 1 Samuel 14:32 And þe people gat them to the spoyle, & toke shepe, oxen, & calues, & slue them on the grounde, & þe people dyd eate them wt the bloude.

He restraineth the people from eating blood.

1 Samuel 14:33 Then men tolde Saul, sayinge: Beholde, the people synne agaynst the Lord, in that they eate with þe bloude. And he sayde: ye haue trespaced. Rowle a great stone vnto me this daye, 1 Samuel 14:34 and Saul sayde agayne: Go abroade amonge the people & bydd them brynge me euery man his oxe & euery man his shepe, and slaye them here, and synne not agaynst the Lorde in eatynge wt the bloude. And the people brought euery man hys oxe in his hande, by nyght, & slue them there.

He buildeth an altar.

1 Samuel 14:35 And Saul made an altare vnto the Lorde. And that was þe fyrst altare þt he made vnto the Lorde.

Jonathan, taken by lot, is saved by the people.

1 Samuel 14:36 And Saul sayde: lett vs go downe after the Philistines by nyght and spoyle them, vntyll it be daye in the mornynge, & lett vs not leaue one man of them. And they sayd: do whatsoeuer thou thinkest best. Then sayde the preast: lett vs come hither vnto God. 1 Samuel 14:37 And Saul asked of God: shall I go downe after the Philistines? Wilt thou delyuer them into the handes of Israel? But he answered him not at that tyme. 1 Samuel 14:38 And Saul sayde: let the people come hyther out of all quarters, and knowe & se by whom thys synne is chaunced this daye: 1 Samuel 14:39 for as truly as þe Lorde lyueth which saueth Israel, though it be in Ionathas my sonne, he shall dye the death. But there was no man amonge all the people that answered him. 1 Samuel 14:40 Then he sayde vnto all Israel: be ye on one syde, and I & Ionathas my sonne wilbe on the other syde. And the people sayde vnto Saul: what thou thynkest best, þt do. 1 Samuel 14:41 Therfore Saul sayde vnto the Lorde God of Israel: geue a perfect lott. And Saul & Ionathas were caught, but the people skaped free. 1 Samuel 14:42 And Saul sayde, cast lottes betwene me & Ionathas my sonne. And Ionathas was caught. 1 Samuel 14:43 Then Saul sayde to Ionathas: tell me what thou hast done. And Ionathas tolde him, & sayde. I tasted a lytle honye with the ende of the rodd that was in myne hande: and lo, I must dye. 1 Samuel 14:44 Saul answered: God do so and so to me, thou shalt dye the death Ionathas. 1 Samuel 14:45 And the people sayde vnto Saul: shall Ionathas dye, which hath so myghtelye helped Israel? God forbyd. As truly as the Lorde lyueth there shall not one heere of hys heed fall to the grounde: for he hath wrought with God thys daye. And so the people delyuered Ionathas, that he dyed not. 1 Samuel 14:46 And then Saul departed vp from folowinge þe Philistines. And þe Philistines went to their awne place.

Saul's strength and family.

1 Samuel 14:47 And so Saul helde the kyngdome ouer Israel, & fought agaynst all his enemyes on euery syde: agaynst Moab: agaynst the chyldren of Ammon: agaynst Edom: agaynst þe kynges of Zoba, and agaynst the Philistines. And whether so euer he turned him selfe, there he wanne: 1 Samuel 14:48 and he gathered his host together, and smote the Amaleckites, & rydd Israel out of the handes of them that spoyled them. 1 Samuel 14:49 The sonnes of Saul were: Ionathas, Iesui, and Melchisua. And hys two daughters were thus named: þe elder was called Merob, and the younger Michol. 1 Samuel 14:50 And þe name of Saules wife, was Ahinoa þe daughter of Ahimaaz. And þe name of hys chefe captayne was Abner þe sonne of Ner, Saules vncle. 1 Samuel 14:51 And Cis was Sauls father. And Ner the father of Abner was the sonne of Abiel. 1 Samuel 14:52 And there was sore warre agaynst the Philistines, all the dayes of Saul. And whomsoeuer Saul sawe to be a stronge man, and mete for þe warre he toke him vnto him.